The future of the Bahrain Grand Prix is secure according to Formula One's boss Bernie Ecclestone.

This year's race was surrounded by negative headlines and controversy as F1 returned to the Gulf state for the first time since 2010. The sport shared column inches with reports of violence on the street as riot police elsewhere on the island used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protestors.

The race itself was largely unaffected as security around the circuit ensured only a couple of female protestors made it into the venue before quickly being escorted out of sight. Asked on Sunday night by Reuters whether the sport would return, he said: "Absolutely. Forever. No problem."

Speaking about the negative media attention, Ecclestone added: "I think it's good because people talk about things, you know. You know what they say - there is no such thing as bad publicity."

Talking to El Pais he said the decision to go ahead with the race was justified.

"Basically, the problems they have in Bahrain have nothing to do with F1," Ecclestone said. "The relevant agencies gave the nod as far as security was concerned, and I think it is clear that they were not wrong."